Portable electronic devices including, for example, smart telephones and wireless PDAs are becoming increasingly common and typically integrate functions of personal information management such as calendaring and data communications such as email, World Wide Web browsing and telecommunications in a single device. Such devices run on a wide variety of networks from data-only networks such as Mobitex and DataTAC to complex voice and data networks such as GSM/GPRS, CDMA, EDGE, UMTS and CDMA2000 networks.
Such portable electronic devices commonly rely on battery power. To conserve battery power, users frequently turn off their portable electronic device during periods of non-use, for example, while the user is sleeping. Certain devices permit the user to set automatic off and automatic on times. In this case, the portable electronic device automatically powers down to a power-off or low-power state at a user set time and automatically powers up at a user set time. For example, the portable electronic device can be set to power down at 11:00 PM each night and power up at 7:00 AM each morning, thereby saving the user from having to remember to turn on or off the portable electronic device to conserve battery power. Of course even with such automatic settings, a user may still use a power-off button during certain periods of inactivity. When in the power-off or low-power state, however, a preset alarm time may be missed. For example, a calendar event reminder such as an appointment reminder previously set to go off at 6:30 AM may be missed if the device is in the low-power state until 7:00 AM.
Improvements in methods and apparatus for powering up a portable electronic device are desirable.